Chapter Eleven
With Kaylee in charge, the wedding was just about as weird as you’d think. All jokes aside, she was a beautiful bride. She looked like Galadriel from Lord of the Rings on her way to Woodstock with her long bell sleeves and flowy dress, her golden hair down in curls with a flower crown to top off the look. On the very bottom of her dress, where it fanned out behind her, she even had embroidered moon phases, which was just so her .
There wasn’t a dry eye in the crowd as she floated down the aisle. Even her tough biker dad wiped at his face as he gave her and Harley one last departing hug. I could tell Harley was trying to hold it together too. Like Harley and the rest of the groomsmen, I was in a fitted dress shirt along with a vest and brown pants. Kaylee wanted us to look earthy to fit the whimsy-hippie-boho theme. Whatever the fuck that meant. I was happy to not be in a full tux outside.
Maisie looked like a goddamn dream. Her drapey lilac dress hung on her body beautifully, with tiny straps barely visible on her shoulders. The front was tasteful, barely revealing her cleavage, but the back plunged, showing off two dimples low on her toned back. I wanted to fall to my knees to kiss them, only to turn her around and nuzzle between her legs. Her dark hair was loosely curled, one side pinned behind her ear with some flowers. With her natural grace, she appeared like a faerie, and I wanted her to lure me into the woods once more.
At the end of the dock, we each took our respective spots on either side of our best friends. I had to fight not to notice how the sunset lit up Maisie’s cinnamon-bark eyes just like when I’d met her all those months ago.
The high priestess, Lady Geneva Gravedust, led an interesting handfasting ritual, and Kaylee’s dress didn’t snag on the broom when her and Harley jumped over it with their hands still bound by the ceremonial cord. That was what we were all told to look out for. The only real hiccup the entire night was when they cut the cake, Moose, their Golden Retriever, ran up to them wagging his tail, wanting a piece. It made everyone laugh, and he got to run around getting pets.
Maisie kept with the other bridesmaids, who were all in shades of mauves, pinks, and purples, but when it came time to dance, she picked up her flowy dress and moseyed in the direction of the cabin.
“Maisie,” I semi-shouted to get her to stop mid-stride.
“What’s up?” she asked with raised eyebrows.
“Are you in the middle of something?” I gestured to the impromptu dance floor set up beneath twinkly lights between their cabin and the lake. “Care to dance? I promise it’s just to make them not worry.”
A flash of emotion trailed her face that I couldn’t place. Almost like something knocked the breath out of her. “If that’s the case, sure. Let’s put on an amicable show.”
“Truce?” I asked.
“Truce,” she echoed, walking closer.
“You make one hell of a maid of honor. You look gorgeous tonight.”
“Thank you, you clean up quite nicely yourself.”
I gestured at her reverently. “And this dress . . .”
“I look like some backup dancer for Florence and the Machine hate fucked a lace doily you’d find on a grandma’s dresser.”
“No, you don’t.” I chuckled, extending my hand until hers was in mine. Her nails were painted white, which was my weakness. She had dainty little gold rings and a necklace with a sun pendant floating high up on her décolletage. “That’s a pretty necklace.”
“Kaylee just gave it to me today.” She forced a close-lipped smile. “As a thank you for being her maid of honor. She has a silver moon one to match.”
We assumed the dancing position, my one hand on her waist, the other bent and holding out her other arm. It was nice having her back in my arms again in any capacity. I had to fight the buzz of attraction. The warmth of her felt a little too good. Mixed with the sugary sweetness of her perfume, I was back in the sticky trap of Maisie.
I knew I couldn’t have her, but god did I want her.
“It must be a hard day, seeing your friend married off. I mean, for Harley and me, it’s different. He has a brother. But you and Kaylee are both only children, right?”
“Yep, exactly. She’s like a sister to me.” She looked around at the wedding. “All of this just feels very final. She’s never coming back to Texas. I’m happy for her, but it’s still hard. She’s my safe space.”
“She probably felt the same way at your wedding,” I offered.
She shook her head. “Nah, Conner didn’t even want a formal wedding. That should’ve been the first red flag.”
“So what did you do?”
“We were on the road for a rodeo, so we stopped in Vegas for a quick wedding. It was very impulsive. I didn’t even get a proper gown. He gambled and lost five thousand bucks right after. Then he ate a huge breakfast burrito with too much Cholula sauce and bitched about the heartburn before passing out on the bathroom floor. I didn’t even get fucked on my wedding night. He had whiskey dick.”
“What the hell did you see in this Conner guy?”
“Money,” she said bluntly. “He comes from a family of wealthy ranchers. Pretty Kitty was in those super-lean early years of business, and I honestly wanted some cushion.” She pursed her lips, shooting a glance at the sky. “I was too young and dumb. I had no business getting married at twenty-two. I confused financial security with love.”
“I’ll be honest, I’m a little shocked at how unashamed you are about your gold-digging ways.”
She fought a smirk, digging a knuckle in my rib. “Capitalism really fucks us all.” When she put her hand back on my shoulder, it was in a closer embrace, her fingers lazily tracing the seam of my vest and collar. “Looking back on it, I think that’s why I’ve been so determined to make Pretty Kitty successful. Conner hated it. He always thought it was a dirty business. Like I sold tobacco or something.”
“I’m sorry he made you feel that way.”
“What about you? Ever married?”
“No, not even close.”
“Why do you think that is?”
“No one has haunted me like you have.” I put my hand this time on her bare lower back. Her lashes fluttered on contact. “I meant what I said, you look beautiful tonight,” I whispered in her ear.
“So do you.” She squeezed my shoulder. “I really am sorry about the jabs I made at you at the bar. It wasn’t cool of me, especially in front of everyone else.”
“Thank you. That reminds me.” I dropped her hand to tug my phone out of my pocket, pulling up the three PDFs I’d saved to throw in her face for a moment like this. When I swiveled the phone around, her brows pinched together as we wandered closer to the edge of the dance floor.
“Are those test results?”
“Yep, proof I’m clean and snipped. So you can stop making fun of me.”
“Wait, snipped?” Her little white nail flicked on the screen, displaying a letter from the American Urology Association confirming a successful vasectomy. She looked up from my phone with her upper lip slightly curled, the screen’s low light casting a glow on her face. “This past winter, Kaylee said something about you and Harley icing your nuts while camping out on her couch. I thought it was a metaphor for how cold it gets here in Maine.”
“Oh no, we got buddy vasectomies and made the mistake of letting her chaotic ass drive us home.” I grinned, knowing Maisie’s head was spinning with this random info. “We had a Breaking Bad marathon afterward, spent the day with frozen peas on our nuts.”
“Wait, what?”
I shrugged, taking my phone back. “We don’t want to be dads, so we took the proverbial bullets out of the chamber. It’s the least we could do, especially with how this country is going full Handmaid’s Tale on its women.”
Her eyes flitted around my face. “That doesn’t earn you brownie points.”
“I’m not saying it should. It’s the bare fucking minimum, but please don’t insinuate I put women’s health at risk when I’ve obviously done more than most men out there. I get that a lot of things are stacked against you, and I know as a guy I don't always deserve a seat at your table, but don't for one second think I wouldn't fight to be there.”
“No, you’re right. And I’ve been tested too.” She cringed at her admission, clapping a hand to her forehead before gesturing. “I’m just telling you that to be transparent. You know, ‘know your status’ and all that jazz. I wouldn’t be much of a sex store owner if I didn’t walk my talk, ya know?”
I smiled at her, loving the way it was making her squirm. The blush was coming back to her cheeks. God, I’d missed it.
“What I’m saying is after my divorce, I went and got checked. My ex did some creepy shit. I’m in the clear. Not that you need to know that.” She went to bite her nails but ripped her hand from her mouth on second thought.
“Right,” I mocked.
“Wow. Sorry, this is getting weird.”
“Can I have another dance?”
“Smooth,” she said, taking my hand. “But don’t dip me. One quick move and this dress will be around my ankles.”
“Is that a promise?” I asked, earning a giggle.
Azalea came by us and snapped a candid photo. Feeling caught, we both popped on cheesy grins for the next one. After that interruption, we just swayed to the music, letting it lull us even deeper into a reverie. Each step brought us closer until her breasts skimmed my chest, the flowers tucked behind her ear wafting their delicate scent toward me.
“So no dip, but how ‘bout a twirl?” I asked, fighting the energy between us.
“One slow, deliberate twirl is in order.”
“Okay, tornado, here we go.” From there, I extended my arm, methodically turning her only to weave her back in, her back now to my chest. I planted a delicate kiss on her bare shoulder.
She made a gentle, little noise of pleasure. “Did you just call me tornado?”
“Yes.”
“I’m not that destructive, am I?” She glanced up at me, fighting the hurt in her voice.
Gathering my thoughts, I extended my arm once more, straightening her out so we could resume our dancing. “Destructive is a harsh word. I’d say untamed, powerful, undeniable. You can tell when a tornado is coming. You want to watch it, but you know doing so won’t leave you feeling the same.”
“That so?”
“And you’re from Texas,” I said, lightening the mood. “So that feels extra fitting since that’s tornado alley.”
She nodded. “Tornado it is. So, you never finished telling me about that trip you took with your family—"
“Hey, we’re going to go decorate the Jeep now. We need the keys,” Carson said, interrupting our dance. I sighed, letting go of Maisie while glaring at him. Really, bro? Right now?
He stood there, annoyed and waiting.
Maisie picked up the hem of her dress with a polite curtsey. “I better go help Kaylee get out of her gown. She has this really cute outfit for the send-off.”
“Thanks for the dance, tornado.”
She flashed me a small smile. I stood there, watching her slender back move and hips sway. Hopefully, it was the last time I’d have to watch her walk away from me.